This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 11-201972, filed Jul. 15, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a 3-D CAD (Computer-Aided Design)/CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) apparatus for generating NC data for processing a work from 3-D model data produced by a 3-D CAD apparatus.
In particular, this invention relates to a 3-D CAD/CAM data transfer method for data transfer between a 3-D CAD apparatus and a 3-D CAM apparatus, as well as the 3-D CAD apparatus, the 3-D CAM apparatus, a 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus, an NC process apparatus to which the 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus is applied, and a storage medium storing programs of the 3-D CAD/CAM data transfer method.
A 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus has been utilized in product manufacturing process, for example, in steps from product design to forming of casted components, etc.
The steps in the manufacturing process will now be described in brief with reference to FIG. 1. To start with, product design is carried out using a 3-D CAD apparatus 1 in a design division, and a 3-D CAD model of the product is prepared.
3-D model data of the 3-D CAD model is converted by a standardized data exchange format 2 such as IGES or STEP. The converted data is sent to a 3-D CAM APPARATUS 3.
In parallel with this, a product shape 4 is converted to a 2-D drawing (design drawing) 5 by a designer using the 3-D CAD apparatus 1. Information 6 on items such as dimensions, process type and surface roughness is described on the 2-D drawing 5, and thus another 2-D drawing 7 is prepared.
On the other hand, the 3-D CAM APPARATUS 3 receives 3-D model data from the 3-D CAD apparatus 1. With reference to the 2-D drawing 7, this 3-D model data is combined with information 8 on items such as a process location, a process type and surface roughness in an interactive mode with a manufacturing engineer.
The 3-D CAM APPARATUS 3 acquires development data, etc. of the product from the 3-D model data is combined with the information 8 on items such as a process location, a process type and surface roughness. On the basis of the development data, the 3-D CAM apparatus 3 calculates a path (process path) of a tool such as a cutter in an NC process machine. NC data 11 for actuating the NC process machine 9 and performing an NC process is generated from the cutter path 10.
In this 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus, 3-D model data is converted by the data exchange format 2 such as IGES or STEP, and the converted data is transferred from the 3-D CAD apparatus 1 to the 3-D CAM apparatus 3.
There is also known a apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, which has a function wherein a material shape (or work shape) 12 as well as the product shape 4 is transferred to the 3-D CAM apparatus 3, and the 3-D CAM apparatus 3 performs an arithmetic operation of (material shapexe2x80x94product shape) and automatically recognizes (13) a process location. xe2x80x9cA-Bxe2x80x9d indicates to cut off essential shape B from foundation shape A. Model data representing the essential shape is called like a xe2x80x9cfeaturexe2x80x9d.
With the current data exchange standard, IGES or STEP, however, the product shape can be transferred to the 3-D CAM apparatus 3 as 3-D model data, but information on items such as a process type indicating a process to be carried out, and a dimensional tolerances, cannot be de transferred to the 3-D CAM apparatus 3.
Under the circumstances, the designer, after designing the product shape 4 and component shapes using the 3-D CAD apparatus, has to take the trouble to convert the acquired 3-D model data to the 2-D drawing 5 and to describe the information on the dimensions, surface roughness and tolerances on the 2-D drawing 5.
Moreover, the manufacturing engineer is required to determine the process location and process type by referring to the 2-D drawing 7 on which the dimensions, surface roughness and tolerances are described, and to produce the process path 10 by operating the 3-D CAM apparatus 3 in the interactive mode.
On the other hand, in order to adopt the method of performing the arithmetic operation of material shape product shape in the 3-D CAM apparatus 3, the material shape 12, too, needs to be produced on the 3-D CAD apparatus 1. No problem arises if the material shape 12 can be defined by blocks as in the case of mold and die. However, in the case of a mold components with a complex shape such as a casted components, many steps are required to produce the material shape 12.
Furthermore, in the above method, information on the process type and tolerances cannot be obtained on the basis of the process location extracted from the 3-D model data. Consequently, software for automatically determining the process type needs to be used, or a work for adding process information by referring to the 2-D drawing 7, as mentioned above, needs to be performed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a 3-D CAD/CAM data transfer method capable of transferring process information such as a process location, a process type and an tolerances by directly using 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a 3-D CAD apparatus capable of adding process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances to 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a 3-D CAM apparatus capable of extracting process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances from 3-D model data transferred from a 3-D CAD apparatus.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus capable of adding process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances to 3-D model data, and extracting the process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances from the 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an NC process apparatus for performing an NC process, with application of a 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus capable of adding process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances to 3-D model data, and extracting the process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances from the 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a storage medium storing programs of a 3-D CAD/CAM data transfer method capable of transferring process information such as a process location, a process type and tolerances by directly using 3-D model data, without the need to produce a material shape or a 2-D drawing.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data transfer method for transferring 3-D model data representing a 3-D model of a product to a 3-D CAM apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
adding at least one of color attribute and line attribute corresponding to a process, as attribute data, to data of the 3-D model data, which data relates to a portion where the product represented by the 3-D model data is to be subjected to the process; and
storing the 3-D model data including the added attribute data in a file for use by the 3-D CAM apparatus, thereby transferring the 3-D model data including the added attribute data to the 3-D CAM apparatus.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a 3-D CAD apparatus comprising:
means for generating 3-D model data representing a 3-D model of a product; and
means for adding at least one of color attribute and line attribute corresponding to a process, as attribute data, to data of the generated 3-D model data, which data relates to a portion where the product represented by the 3-D model data is to be subjected to the process.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a 3-D CAM apparatus comprising:
means for reading out 3-D model data representing a 3-D model of a product, the 3-D model data being stored in a file, wherein at least one of color attribute and line attribute corresponding to a process is added, as attribute data, to data of the generated 3-D model data, which data relates to a portion of the product represented by the 3-D model data, at which portion the product is to be subjected to the process; and
means for recognizing the portion of the product, at which the product is to be subjected to the process, on the basis of the attribute data added to the read-out 3-D model data.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a 3-D CAD/CAM apparatus comprising:
a CAD apparatus; and
a CAM apparatus connected to the CAD apparatus over a network,
wherein the CAD apparatus comprises:
means for generating 3-D model data representing a 3-D model of a product, and
means for adding at least one of color attribute and line attribute corresponding to a process, as attribute data, to data of the generated 3-D model data, which data relates to a portion where the product represented by the 3-D model data is to be subjected to the process, and
means for storing the 3-D model data including the added attribute data in a file for use by the CAM apparatus, and
the CAM apparatus comprises:
means for recognizing the portion of the product, at which the product is to be subjected to the process, on the basis of the attribute data added to the 3-D model data stored in the file.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided an NC process apparatus comprising:
a 3-D CAD apparatus for generating 3-D model data representing a 3-D model of a product, and adding at least one of color attribute and line attribute corresponding to a process, as attribute data, to data of the generated 3-D model data, which data relates to a portion where the product is to be subjected to the process;
a 3-D CAM apparatus for generating a process path for fabricating the product, on the basis of the attribute data added to the 3-D model data in the 3-D CAD apparatus, and generating NC data from the generated process path; and
an NC process machine for machining a work on the basis of the NC data generated by the 3-D CAM apparatus.
According to a 6th aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising:
model data having a color attribute, wherein the color attribute is associated with at least one of a manufacturing process for a surface of an article and a specification of the surface.
According to a 7th aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising:
model data having a line attribute, wherein the line attribute is associated with at least one of a manufacturing process for a surface of an article and a specification of the surface.
According to an 8th aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of generating a model data comprising the step of:
adding data representing at least one surface of an article to color attributes being associated with a manufacturing process for a surface of the model.
According to a 9th aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of generating a model data comprising the step of:
adding data representing at least one surface of an article to color attributes being associated with specification of surfaces of the article.
According to a 10th aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of generating a model data comprising the step of:
adding line attributes being associated with at least one of specification of surfaces of an article and a manufacturing process for the surfaces of the model to at least one surface data representing a surface of the article.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.